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About Me

This blog is dedicated to the low-carb menu challenge presented by Jimmy Moore.
I'm living the Louisiana low carb lifestyle, where low-carb is the new way to go !
I live southwest of New Orleans, Louisiana....have three awesome kids.
We are deep down in the heart of sweet Cajun Country, where we kick back and relax, go hunting, fishing, or make groceries!
My doctor told me that my blood pressure numbers were getting too high, so I had to loose weight. She challenged me with ten pounds in three months. That was October 7, 2008. I lost 26 pounds !!!
In February of 2011, I found that I had gained a few pounds more than I would have liked, weighing in at 170 pounds. I had to get back into the swing of living the low carb life again !!
I am loving the 'low-carb' style and wish to contiue it . I exercise three times a week at the gym, and off the 'off' days, I learn to RELAX !!
November 2011, finds me in different circumstances -- a new lifestyle, great community of friends and a challenge to keep that 45 pounds that I lost OFF.
Feel free to read my blog, browse around, or just sit a spell!!

I'm sitting here comtemplating the news I was given yesterday about my recent hair loss. You know, one day its thick and flowing, and the next it is coming out in strands as you brush, or you find it covering the drain hole in the bathtub.

I've been noticing this for about six weeks now, and never really thought much of it, till I started asking around.. and as more and more came out. Granted, its not coming out in clumps, but its enough for me to notice.

I originally called my primary care physicians office because, honestly, I did not know where to begin looking. I had three options :

Telogen effluvium is a form of nonscarring alopecia characterized by diffuse hair shedding, often with an acute onset. A chronic form with a more insidious onset and a longer duration also exists.1,2 Telogen effluvium is a reactive process caused by a metabolic or hormonal stress or by medications. Generally, recovery is spontaneous and occurs within 6 months.

So in effect, its been about eight months since the hysterectomy, but its been six-seven weeks since I noticed the hair loss, thus the post 'six-month period since the hysterectomy

Understanding the pathophysiology of telogen effluvium requires knowledge of the hair growth cycle. All hair has a growth phase, termed anagen, and a resting phase, telogen. On the scalp, anagen lasts approximately 3 years, while telogen lasts roughly 3 months, although there can be wide variation in these times between individuals. During telogen, the resting hair remains in the follicle until it is pushed out by growth of a new anagen hair.

Physiologic stresses that can induce telogen effluvium include febrile illness, major injury, change in diet, etc. So there you have it, DIET and MAJOR SURGERY.

I do not know if any of the low carbers out there reading this blog have experienced hair loss, but I'd certainly like for yall to share.

Remember, I lost the majority of my 30 pounds during the FIRST FOUR MONTHS of my low carb diet. I'm sure that 'shock', in addition to my surgery could be the reason for the hair loss.

I'm scheduled for a round of blood tests today, including thyroid and FSH levels. He also suggested I take Biotin

Its been a VERY LONG spring break here in Louisiana. Enjoying time with the kids and my wonderful husband who's been on vacation.

Our gym opened their pool this week.. (You should see my EYES literally light up when I say this... ).. However, the water temp is still too cold to actually swim.

Can you believe, that I do not know how to swim ? Yes an adult. I can swim a distance, and a few of the 'strokes'.. but nothing else ! I plan to take swim lessons as soon as someone finds out how swim-challenged I really am. (I did have an offer from a 10-year old on the swim team LOL). May just take him up on it.

School starts tomorrow. (Do you hear an AMEN in the background here ??). I am going to enjoy myself now.

I'm still watching what I eat, although I must tell you this butter pecan sugarfree ice cream that Schwan's puts out is to die-for

I love Easter Sunday. I love the way my church's normally casual congregation takes everything up a notch (or three)—the girls in new linen dresses and the boys in once-a-year ties. I love the jubilance of the music, and the preacher's grin when he urges us to turn to one another and say, "He is risen!"

Easter Sunday is the Christian faith's gold medal victory lap and its raison d'etre. It's the Happily Ever After to end all happily ever afters. Easter Sunday shouts: "Death where is thy sting?" and "Love wins!" and "God is alive!"

But here's the rub: I dread Good Friday. I dread the images of torture and suffering. I dread the somber music and the awful remembrance of the violent death of a loved one—of Jesus, the Loved One. I dread the smothering grief and the inescapable remorse and the terrible recollected cry, "My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"

Left to my own devices, I'd probably skip Good Friday. But I suspect that if I did, Easter morning would become increasingly hollow. I'd forget how much my salvation cost.

What's more, I'm pretty sure my Good Friday avoidance would cause me to lose touch with certain realities about the way the universe works on this side of eternity. I'd start to believe that you can have victory without sacrifice. I'd convince myself that you don't have to die to live the resurrection. I'd buy the lie that Christ's ultimate victory over death—and my decision to follow him—means life on this earth will be trouble-free.

The biblical writers warn us repeatedly that the Christian should not expect a life exempt from Good Fridays. They encourage us to consider every hardship pure joy because suffering is an opportunity to identify with Christ and become more dependent on him (James 1:2-4). They repeat Christ's plainspoken invitation to "take up his cross" (Mark 8:34-35).

And yet for many of us Easter Sunday Christians, when the job is lost, or the tumor is malignant, or the friendship is betrayed, we grieve not only the wound but also the fact that we can be wounded. We feel that either we're not doing faith right or that faith—that Jesus—has let us down. We don't consider it "pure joy" when our faith is tested. We consider it failure.

I'm beginning to think our expectations are not just unrealistic, they're anti-gospel. But our confusion is hardly surprising. According to some experts, we're bombarded with more than 3,000 advertisements a day, telling us we're entitled to (and must pursue at any cost) an easy, ageless, worry-free life. When we meet and accept Jesus, many of us can't help but distort his promise of abundant life into something that resembles the illusion advertisers sell us every day.

So how do we become Easter Sunday Christians who truly see (and even embrace) the good in our Good Fridays? How do we resist our sense of entitlement and the distorted expectations that are so deeply ingrained? I've found the following four principles helpful.

Check the Definitions

When I read that God "works all things together for good," I can't help but think of the marketers' definitions and assume that "good" means "easy," "youthful," "desirable," and "wealthy." But when I read the Bible, I discover that God defines "good" in entirely different terms.

New Testament Christians seemed to believe the greatest good is to become more like Jesus. They took it for granted that this process wouldn't be easy.

"What do people mean when they say 'I am not afraid of God, because he is good?'" asked C.S. Lewis, musing on this idea. "Have they never even been to a dentist?"

Evidently, early Christians also assumed that the "good" God is working toward is much more expansive than one individual's personal circumstances. God is establishing his kingdom, doing nothing less than "reconciling all things to himself" (Colossians 1:20), and the ultimate good for the believer is to be included in that process.

I'm immensely comforted when I remember that the God who cares deeply and personally about even a fallen sparrow is watching over me. But I've been a parent long enough to suspect that my heavenly father knows more than I do about what I need and where I'm going—and about what's best for the whole family. So it's a safe bet that his definition of "blessing" is different from mine.

When I'm expecting Easter Sunday and I get Good Friday instead, I'm trying to remember that God's definition of "good" undoubtedly confounds and far exceeds my own.

Re-evaluate Death

Almost all the new beginnings in my life have come from what felt at the time like terrible endings. So I know I need to re-examine my concept of "death." Frequently, what seems like a small (but devastating) death is actually a chance at new life. I can point to dozens of "dead ends" in my career, ministry, or relationships that turned out to be opportunities to change direction.

Nature gives us vivid examples of this principle. Like seeds, we must be willing to be broken in order to grow into what we were made to be. Like reptiles, we have to shed old skins. Like caterpillars, we must be entombed so we can emerge as completely new creations. When I think of all the energy I've expended resisting endings and change, I wonder what new life I've missed.

Jesus tells us to die so we can live. He invites us to surrender all the illusions we have about what makes a life good and worthwhile so we can discover real life. And then he walks with us, every step of the way, as we die a thousand deaths in the process of letting his life go deeper and deeper into us. Until at last we really and truly physically die, only to live forever

The rumors of our demise, it turns out, are greatly exaggerated. With God, the end is the beginning.

Keep Time

In my non-liturgical church tradition, a "church calendar" is a list of youth group meetings and members' birthdays, not an ancient rhythm of days and observances. But I've been learning that many branches of Christianity throughout the centuries have used liturgical time as a way of keeping believers connected to the realities of both life and death in the faith.

Cycling through Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Passiontide, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, and back through "ordinary time" to Advent again, Christians are reminded that suffering is an expected part of human life, and, more important, that God is constantly redeeming that suffering through his resurrection power. I'm just beginning to discover how helpful the church calendar can be in correcting and realigning my own expectations.

Lent, in particular, is a fascinating season. A few years ago, when I became aware that some of my Anglican and Catholic friends went through an annual ritual of giving up some creature comfort for 40 days every spring, I responded with what I thought was a clever line: "This year for Lent I'm giving up self-control." My friends would smile but challenge me to give Lent a serious try.

This year, in my desire to more fully embrace Good Friday, I'm observing my first Lenten season. It's an experiment to see if denying myself one small but habitualized comfort (in my case, a certain kind of food) prepares my heart to more fully enter into every part of Easter.

My Lent-experienced friends tell me that disrupting even one routine can expose the crutches and illusions and substitutions that keep us from authentically participating in the life Christ offers. Lent, they claim, can facilitate a small death to self that becomes an opening to new life. I aim to see if they're right.

Expect the Unexpected

Endings that are beginnings, death that is life—God will always confound our expectations.

A couple years ago, during a jubilant Easter service, our pastor said something that stopped me in my mental tracks: "The world offers promises full of emptiness. But Easter offers emptiness full of promise."

Empty cross, empty tomb, empty grave-clothes … all full of promise. If I were writing the Easter story, I don't think I'd choose emptiness as my symbolic gesture. But then, I also wouldn't be talking about strength being made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), foolish things confounding the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27), the meek inheriting the earth (Matthew 5:5), or the poor in spirit getting (in every sense of the word "get") the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). And I certainly wouldn't be talking about dying in order to live.

What is it about God that makes him so favor this kind of paradox? I guess this is what we should expect from the Servant King—the God who decided that the best way to save the world was to let it kill him. I don't understand the way God thinks. But on those days when I feel hollowed out and broken—half-dead, even—it makes me glad to remember that for Easter people, even death is full of promise.

The world makes a lot of promises. Smoke and mirrors, mostly. Frantic, cartoonish attempts to distract us from the gaping holes in the middle of our souls (or to sell us the latest product in order to fill them). There's no life in those promises.

So I'm hoping that this Lenten season, I'll be a little more willing to die to that stuff. I'm praying I'll become more aware of the empty space within, and that I'll resist the urge to fill it with any old thing I can find. I'm going to wait, carved out, vulnerable, a cracked and crumbling jar of clay, on a life God's offered to deposit anywhere there's room. I'm going to believe that if I'll just leave my empty spaces empty, he'll fill them. That, I'm convinced, is a reasonable expectation.

I'm writing this article during a particularly long Good Friday season in my own life. My mom is battling cancer, and I'd be lying if I said I was able to watch her suffer and "count it all joy."

I pray for healing and hope desperately it will come here on earth. I ask all the questions people have asked at the bedsides of sick loved ones for thousands of years. I vacillate wildly between hope and despair, faith and doubt, openness and bitterness.

But I know that we do not suffer alone, because the God of the universe wore our skin and died our death and removed its sting forever. This is no meager consolation. And even when I'm desperately sad, I look at my mom and I remember: Without Good Friday, there would be no Easter morning. So I pray through the night, and I wait for the resurrection.

Carolyn Arends is a columnist for our sister publication Christianity Today and the author of Wrestling with Angels: Adventures with Faith and Doubt (Harvest House). www.carolynarends.com

One of my favorite sites out there on the net is a place called Hungry Girl

I did some digging and found this interesting article posted on her site :

http://www.hungry-girl.com/girls/biteoutdetails.php?isid=444

http://www.hungry-girl.com/week/weeklydetails.php?isid=1006

about debunking diet myths. Enjoy !

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Rumor: Carbs make you fat.

The Real Deal: Oh, stop the carb-bashing already, people! Eating carbs doesn't make you gain weight, eating excessive calories does. However, carbs can often be high in calories due to lots of sugars and fats. Processed carb-heavy foods like regular pasta, junk food, and white bread tend to have the highest calories. Keep those to a limit. Fruits and veggies have carbs (natural sugars) yet are low in calories. High-fiber foods with complex carbs, like whole grains, potatoes and beans, are a good source of energy your body needs. Just pay attention to the calories in the carb-y food you chew on, and you should be fine!

Rumor: Guzzling gallons of water = instant weight loss.

The Real Deal: Uhhh...not quite. If your water intake is replacing high-calorie drinks like juice and soda, then you'll likely see results. But that's because you'd be cutting back on your calorie intake. Water alone won't flush fat from your system or wash away excess weight. It can, however, eliminate hunger pangs and make you feel fuller. And eating less does equal weight loss. Also, keeping your body hydrated keeps your energy up. So take that energy and use it to fuel a workout! But too much water (as in gallons and gallons) will just you leave you bloated and comfortable.

Rumor: Going vegetarian is the secret to losing weight.

The Real Deal: Oh, please! A vegetarian diet has pros and cons when it comes to weight loss. Some vegetarian products (like imitation bacon and burger patties) are lower in fat and calories than their meaty counterparts. Making these swaps can be good for weight loss. However, eliminating meat from your diet alone won't cause your weight to drop. High-calorie fattening foods like pizza, pasta dishes, cakes and candy aren't off-limits on a vegetarian diet. And often, limiting your options can make it harder to find diet-friendly choices when eating out. Whether you go veggie or not, it's important to eat plenty of filling protein and avoid eating too many high-calorie, fat-heavy foods.

Rumor: Cut out dairy -- it's all fattening and high in calories.

The Real Deal: Nope! While full-fat dairy can be a bad idea for scale-watchers (limit your intake of this stuff), low-calorie, low-fat and even fat-free options can be a dieter's best friend! Look for light versions of cottage cheese, yogurt (frozen and regular!), cheese, sour cream, cream cheese, milk and more. Curious about which light cheeses are chew-worthy? Check out our cheese reviews coming up tomorrow!

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Rumor #1: By not eating after a certain time of night (for example, 8:00), you'll lose weight.

The Truth: By not eating after a certain time, there is a chance you might lose some weight. But it's not the time cut-off that will rid you of the pounds. Calories count. And whether you eat them at 9 a.m. or 9 p.m., a calorie is still a calorie. However, if you give yourself fewer chewing hours, you'll likely take in fewer calories and have more active hours to burn them off. This is especially helpful for late-night snack addicts. A lot of people eat GREAT during the day, then pig out on chips, ice cream, brownies, etc. at 9 or 10PM. Eeeks! If this sounds familiar, a cut-off time for eating might be helpful to you.

Rumor #2: As long as something is fat free or low in carbs, you can eat as much of it as you want.

The Truth: No, no, NO! We know tons of people (literally, TONS) who have gained weight by chowing down on everything with a low fat or low carb label -- because they simply ate too much. When it comes to weight loss, calories count. (Do we sound like a broken record yet?) Many low fat and low carb products are chock-full of calories. You MUST watch your portions and read labels carefully. Seeing the words "Fat Free" or "Low Carb" is no excuse to devour an entire bag of pretzels or chew a whole pan of bacon. Easy on The Chips, Snacky!

The Truth: Negative calorie foods are foods that supposedly contain fewer calories than the amount your body would burn to digest them. Apples, celery, carrots, asparagus, cantaloupe, broccoli and blueberries are just a few of these so-called negative calorie foods. So, is the rumor true? Should you be filling your shopping cart with apples and asparagus? Well, there is no conclusive proof that negative calorie foods make you lose weight. Still, you can be certain that these "negative calorie" foods won't hurt your diet. All of them are nutritious, low fat and low cal. So why not add some of these health-protecting foods into your meal plan? If it turns out that these negative calorie foods do aid in weight loss, that would just be icing on the cake (which, unfortunately, is NOT a negative calorie food).

Rumor #4: Margarine is better for you than real butter.

The Truth: This myth is absolutely false. Most margarine has just as much fat and just as many calories as regular butter. And margarine also packs in oodles of heart-clogging trans fats. While butter, with all its saturated fat, is far from good for you, margarine, with all it's trans fats, is even worse. HG Tip: Try Land O' Lakes Light Whipped Butter. It has just 35 calories and 3.5 grams of fat per tablespoon, and it's delicious!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Good Morning ! Are yall ready for Spring ?? It still feels like winter here LOL. The other day it was 85 degrees, today its in the 60's.. go figure .. I hope Regis and Kelly are enjoying this New Orleans, kinda weather !

This is an excellent article about re energizing yourself. Its been 6 months today, since I started low carbing, and loosing weight. Hats off to a success story :)

http://www.momcentral.com/health/energizing-yourself.html

Rethink how you care for youself !

Use spring cleaning as an excuse to rethink the way you care for yourself.

Sometimes when we have children we forget about ourselves. We are so busy doing the best we can for our kids, that we lose what is best for ourselves. When it comes to self-esteem and confidence in both your parenting skills and yourself, it is important to take time for yourself. This spring, as we organize and clean up our homes, we should take a good look at how we make time and care for ourselves. Here are some great tips to energize yourself.

~ Build into your week activities that boost your self-esteem and that make you feel strong and confident. These could be things that you do well and about which you feel passionate, or things that you did well in your youth that you still enjoy, such as swimming or doing crossword puzzles.

~ Exercise, even when you don't feel much like doing so. Staying fit and conditioned gives you the foundation to counter the daily stresses inherent in school, your job and daily life. It also will help lift your spirits and boost your self-image. If the type of exercise you've been doing isn't for fun for you and another chore we add to the week's schedule, try something different such as tennis or a spin class. Drag out your bike and try a new route. Walk the dog a friend in the evening or early morning. Aim for an half hour of physical activity a day- even walking counts!

~ Comfort food doesn't always have to be the decadent pint of gourmetice cream, macaroni and cheese, a gooey grilled cheese sandwich, or freshbaked cookies. Instead it can be soups that simmer on your stove (addbouillon cubes for more instant rich flavor), roast turkey or chicken(throw in some lemons or oranges into the roasting pan), or bread bakingin the oven (you can even buy uncooked dough in your grocery store'sfreezer section).

~ Are you caffeine dependent? I know I was -- so much so that I wasconvinced that I should invent a caffeine patch to wear on my arm andsimply tap to get activated in the morning. The problem isthat caffeine affects your sleep, leaves you jittery, and plummets yourenergy when it wears off. So ease yourself off it, giving yourself moretime to sleep and substituting natural energerizers, such as fruit, in itsplace as a quick pick-me up.

Avoid Negativity

~ Surround yourself with energized friends. Find people with whom youfeel refreshed and inspired, and who make you laugh -- and make these theenergizers you seek out. Energy is contagious, both positive andnegative. Make sure that those around you on a regular basis areenergetic and positive. Identify those people who primarily act asenergy-vampires or are toxic for you to be around, and distance them from your everyday life. The same goes for toxic colleagues and friends: usepolite evasion to keep them at arm's-length.

~ Let go of perfectionism. Give up the ideal of having a spotless apartmentor totally organized life. This is a never-ending series of battles you willkeep losing.

~ Give up hoping to have a body that leaps straight off the pages of afashion magazine. Unless you've inherited amazing genes or do yourselfthe disservice of eating too little, you will likely find yourselfconsumed by a very demanding part-time job of losing weight. Your scale,bathroom mirror, and smallest jeans should not become the arbiters ofyour happiness.

~ Toss out clothing that doesn't fit or that you haven't worn in thepast two years. Give it to Goodwill or a local charity. Keep only clothesin which you feel great.

Spice It Up!

~ Indulge your sense of smell. Experiment with different scents ofperfumes, as they can help switch your mood and give you a pick-me up atmuch needed times. Treat yourself to some in the afternoon of a long day.Put plants around your house or office, get some indoor seasonal fragrantflowering bulbs such as narcissus, tulips, and hyacinths, and grow sweetsmelling fresh herbs in your garden such as rosemary, oregano, sage, orlemon balm.

~ Expand your mind. Treat yourself to a class at a local communitycollege or center: an hour of pottery or oil painting or dancing. Get anadult education catalog and see what catches your eye. You sign your kidsup for lessons on everything under the sun, why not try something new foryourself? Try a cooking class, start a garden in the backyard, go for anafternoon of golf with that friend who keeps offering to teach you, ortry a yoga, tai chi or even karate lessons.

~ Plan a surprise weekend getaway so that you can come back as good asnew! Make time for your partner, as your relationship needs connectingtime to be nourished. Make regular dates, swapping with friends if needbe to get the babysitting coverage. Spend time alone with each other evenon family vacations. Raise this back up to the top of your list ofpriorities.

Relax

~ Think slow every once in a while and take your time in life. Treatyourself to some moments of luxurious, leisurely time. When you areoverwhelmed, stop and just breathe. Give yourself pockets of time-outfrom the fast paced world in which we live. Make time for yourself: andrunning errands doesn't count! Take time out particularly when you feelrushed, behind, or in crisis mode.

~ Are you sleep-deprived? It's so tempting to steal hours from eitherend of our days to get that final load of laundry folded or to curl upwith a novel, that you wind up getting less than the optimal seven oreight hours of sleep your body needs.

~ Ease yourself off of "quick fix" foods. Snacks high in sugar,caffeine, or alcohol actually bring your mood and energy level downfurther once they wear off. Reach instead for a glass of ice water with acouple raspberries thrown in, a cup of green tea, or crisp vegetablesthat appeal to you.

~ Take a shower or bath, every day. It sounds simple, but this is oftenthe first luxury to go as a Mom! Plus, once a week, indulge in a bathduring which no shaving or shampooing is allowed. Light a couple candles,drop in scented bath oil, and luxuriate. Be really decadent and throw ina few rose or gardenia petals. Nothing like a really warm bubble bathwith scented soap or gel to soothe your body after a long day runningaround and meeting everyone else's needs. Dim the lights, grab somethingfabulous to read or put on some of your favorite music, and spend twentyminutes soaking out the day's stress.

~ Pick up soothing music to listen to in the car during yourcommutes, or check out some books on tape from your library to have someescapist time listening on the go. Transform this otherwise lost timeinto something soothing.

Indulge Yourself

~ Do something that makes you feel exuberant. Seek out adventure: itcan be simple as an afternoon wandering and exploring a nearby museum orsmall town. It doesn't have to be a week of Tibet hiking. Approach yourown town as a tourist might. What haven't you done or gone to see? Go toit.

~ Make your bed a comfort zone. Choose some soft or silky sheets, afluffy down comforter, lots of plumped up pillows for nighttime reading,an afghan to curl up in, soft lighting (switch to a 25 watt bulb), andmusic in your bedroom (even if just a portable radio or CD player). For atreat, scent your sheets by adding a couple drops of scented oil on awashcloth thrown in with them in the dryer.

~ Rethink your interior space at home or at work, and take a secondlook at how you've arranged things. Paint a new color on your walls or ceiling. Get room-darkening shades if the light wakes you up. Create hidden storage spaces such as under your bed for things cluttering your life. Buy woven baskets to store papers.

Contrary to popular belief, Moms today don't stop working just so they have time to clean out the fridge shelves or swap a never-ending loads of laundry. Rather, Moms want to be at home so they have the opportunity to really be hands-on parents to their children.

Their identities as stay-at-home Moms are tied to raising good (this often becomes interpreted by Moms as exceptional) children, and not tied to the neatness of their homes--in direct contrast to the June Cleaver era of stay-at-home moms. (The American housewife grew out of the leisure of post-WWI America, with women no longer having to work while the men were at war and dedicating themselves instead to maintaining the perfect home, being "happy homemakers" and raising the kids.) Just as the time period has changed, so must Moms take the time for their personal wants and needs in order to be happy, productive and nurturing mothers.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Some sage advice for choosing a diet... Isn't that why we just LOVE Low Carb ??

The Worst Diets Ever: Diets That Don't Work

Avoid these 5 types of diets for best weight loss results, experts say

By Kathleen M. Zelman, MPH, RD, LD

WebMD Weight Loss Clinic-FeatureReviewed by Louise Chang, MD

"Eat what you want, when you want, and watch the pounds disappear!" You've heard of them, maybe even tried them: miraculous-sounding diets that claim to melt off pounds with minimal effort. There are hundreds of these quick-fix diets out there, from the grapefruit diet to the detox diet to the "caveman" diet. But how do you tell legitimate weight loss plans from diets that don't work (at least in the long run)?

One reason's it's so hard to tell the difference is that even the worst diets will likely result in weight loss, at least initially. But it does little good to lose weight, experts say, if it comes right back.

"Don't be fooled into thinking it is because of some magical food, pill or potion. What causes weight loss is eating fewer calories than you burn," says Dawn Jackson-Blatner, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). "Crazy, unbalanced diets cause weight loss because they are basically low-calorie diets."

After a few weeks on an unrealistic diet, dieters usually become frustrated and give up. This leads to feelings of failure that can help send them right back to their unhealthy lifestyles.

"Fad diets not only fail to produce long-term weight loss, they can lead to deprivation, weight gain, and discouragement," says Michelle May, MD, author of Am I Hungry?What to Do When Diets Don't Work."In other words, you are often worse off than before you started."

The Worst Diets Ever

Experts who spoke to WebMD identified these 5 types of diets that are unlikely to produce long-term results for most people:

1. Diets that focus on only a few foods or food groups (like the cabbage soup diet, grapefruit diet, strict vegan diets, raw food diets, and many low-carb diets). Beware of any diet that rules out entire food groups. People need to eat from a variety of food groups to get all the nutrients they need, says ADA spokeswoman Andrea Giancoli, MPH, RD.

Yale University's David Katz, MD, author of The Flavor Point Diet, says that while restrictive diets do work initially, they fail over the long haul. You can lose weight on diets that focus on single foods (like cabbage soup), but how much cabbage soup can a person eat? Before long, you grow weary of eating the same foods every day, and cravings for favorite foods lead you back to your former eating behavior.

Keep in mind that all foods can fit into a healthy lifestyle in moderation -- even things like bacon, super-premium ice cream, and chips. And when diets forbid certain foods and dieters envision a life without their favorite treats, those diets usually fail. "Any time you restrict a certain food, it triggers cravings for the forbidden fruit and sets up a restriction-binge cycle," says Blatner.

And what about restrictive diets that offer a rewarding "cheat day"? May labels them "absurd."

"It just doesn't make sense to try to be perfect (whatever that is) on Sunday to Friday while obsessing about everything you are going to eat on Saturday," she says.

"All the flushes and cleanses are pure nonsense, unnecessary, and there is no scientific basis for these recommendations," says Pamela Peeke, MD, chief medical correspondent for the Discovery Health channel. "Your body is well equipped with organs, such as the liver and kidneys, and the immune system, to rid itself of potential toxins and does an excellent job of cleansing itself without needing flushes or cleanses."

3. Diets with 'miracle' foods or ingredients (like supplements, fructose water, bitter orange, green tea, apple cider vinegar). Dieters are always searching for the food, pill, or potion that will help them lose weight, but unfortunately, there are no such miracle ingredients. "No one single food or group of foods eaten together or at a certain time of day has any impact on weight loss," notes May.

Be leery of any plan that recommends a shelf full of supplements, enzymes, or potions (especially if you purchase them from the diet book author or company).

"You don't need expensive supplements," says Blatner. "If you want to take a once daily multivitamin for nutritional insurance, that is fine, but otherwise, we recommend you get your nutrients from food."

4. Fasting and very low-calorie diets (like the "Skinny" vegan diet, Hollywood Diet, and Master Cleanse). Fasting has been a cultural and religious tradition for centuries, and is fine for a day or so, but fasting for weight loss is counterproductive, Giancoli explains.

"When you ... consume too few calories, your body thinks it is starving and adjusts the metabolism," she says. "But when you go back to eating normally, your metabolism doesn't readjust and therefore you need fewer calories than before -- otherwise known as the yo-yo syndrome."

What's worse, weight loss during a fast is usually a combination of fat, fluid, and muscle, but the pounds regained will probably be all fat. Not convinced yet? Giancoli says you won't feel good, nor will you have much energy to be physically active while fasting.

And what about very low-calorie diets? Blatner say that diets promising losses of more than a half to 1 pound per week are simply not realistic.

"When you see diet books touting 5, 10 or 15 pounds in a short period of time, it is unrealistic," says Blatner. Depending on how much you have to lose, you may experience some initial water loss. But over time, weight loss averages out to around a pound per week, she says.

5. Diets that sound too good to be true (like The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You to Know About.) If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Diet plans that claim to have a "secret," that make dramatic statements against respected health authorities, or make recommendations that contradict those of scientific organizations are suspect.Finding a Diet That WorksThere is no such thing as one size fits all when it comes to diet plans, and it's key to find one that fits your lifestyle. The best diet is one you can safely and realistically stick with for the long term, plain and simple.

"It should be flexible enough to fit into your real life and should encourage healthier eating by focusing on balance, variety, and moderation" says May. "I encourage my patients to enjoy eating the foods they love every day, mindfully and in moderation."

In fact, the best "diet" may not be a diet at all, says Katz.

"Forget about 'dieting' and instead, think about strategies to satisfy your hunger for fewer calories," he says. "Eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein can help manage your appetite."

Blatner recommends using diet books as a loose template for tips, strategies, and behavioral ideas. Or save your money and follow the three-step approach she uses with her own weight loss clients:

Take inventory of what you're doing now and identify your "weakest link." "Most people know immediately where they are vulnerable -- 3 p.m. snacking, monster portions, too much alcohol, (an) insatiable sweet tooth, or snacking all day long," she says. Katz suggests trying to identify what led to your weight gain and address it. For example, if you overeat because of stress, consider a stress management course. Develop a strategy to address areas where you're vulnerable so you can set yourself up for success.

Identify one to three small changes you can make right now in your diet and exercise habits. "Even though they want quick results, this method has proven to be safe, effective, and sustainable long term," Blatner says.

Reassess in a few weeks to see whether your changes are working; then make a few more small changes. "It takes about 12 weeks for you to see progress, and that is about the time you should incorporate a few more changes so you keep pushing the bar," Blatner says.